All veterans, active duty military, National Guard and reservists are invited to attend the “From Battleground to Breaking Ground: A Transitional Journey” workshop at Texas A&M University - San Antonio, One University Way, in San Antonio, Saturday, June 6, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to learn about the programs and assistance available to help start their own farm, ranch or agribusiness.

The agriculture workshop is designed to educate veterans, their families, beginning farmers and ranchers, small scale producers, and others about agriculture business start-up, business plan development, possibilities for farming and ranching with a disability, financial funding sources, marketing, and resources to support agriculture business operations.

More than 400 workshop attendees have taken this knowledge and resources to start researching and developing their agribusiness plans. Many have even started their own farm or expanded their operation using the resources provided.

“Participants are able to see how state and federal programs can work together and how they can leverage the available resources to accomplish their agricultural dreams,” said Glenn Greanya, veteran emphasis program manager (VEPM) for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “It also provides great networking with other veterans who are already farming and using these resources as well as beginning farmer and ranchers who haven’t even started their operation.”

Attendees will be encouraged to “think outside of the box” when it comes to what they plan to do on their farm or ranch during the business opportunities presentation. They will learn how farm and ranch owners across Texas have diversified their operations for additional income. Dr. Greg Clary will also work with attendees on developing their own agribusiness plan.

There will also be a panel of state and federal agencies including the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), USDA-NRCS, USDA-Risk Management Agency (RMA), USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, who will share how their programs, services and staff can help.

Veterans from prior workshops will share how they have utilized the knowledge gained to further their agricultural operation and offer suggestions to those just starting out.

Staff from Texas AgrAbility will share how their program can assist with empowering agricultural producers, their family members or employees with disabilities and chronic health conditions to start or stay engaged in production agriculture.

“One of the most difficult things to adapt to upon leaving the military is to find the information you need when you need it,” said veteran and workshop speaker, Doug Havemann, owner of Mesquite Field Farm in Nixon. “With the massive amounts of data available on the internet, it can be a daunting problem to find exactly what you need. The Battleground to Breaking Ground program provides much of the information that is needed for Veterans who wish to enter into agricultural businesses such as farming or ranching. While my business is fully functional and growing in success, had I know about this program when I started I would have been successful sooner and without some of the costly mistakes I made. From business development, marketing, process development, specific market professional advisers, and peer partners, the program and resources available to you will provide the tools to make you successful.”

To ensure adequate space and a lunch count, attendees are requested to RSVP by registering online by June 2 at http://txagrability.tamu.edu/. A registration form can also be downloaded from the site and emailed to empilosi@ag.tamu.edu.